Google starting its own domain name registration service

Google is using some of their data center space to start up a service to help you register your own domain name on the Internet. The service, aptly named Google Domains is an invite-only beta for the time being, as we have come to expect whenever Google rolls out a new product or service. Google won't be offering hosting space, but folks like Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, and Weebly have joined as partners so you will have an easy time getting everything online.

If/when the service launches to the general public, you'll be able to buy or sell domain names through Google. They aren't charging extra for private registrations, and will offer up to 100 free subdomains.

If you are looking to try out the service, visit the source link and request an invite. Be sure to let us know how things went if you end up using Google to register a new domain!

Same here. Been using Namecheap for several years but would like a much better 2-Factor system, simpler registration (I prefer to pay $12 versus the $11+2 at separate times for private registrations), and a single pain of glass for my stuff.

Personally, I like the redesign in and of itself. The part that I don't like, however, is that the redesign only applies to the front-end. The backend domain administration panel is the same design as before. It create the feel of a much more dated service rather than a fresh service that the front-end design provides. It also makes things more confusing trying to find where you need to go to make certain changes.

I'm a namecheap user too, and would rather continue to pay them than have to move my domains back to them when Google cancels this service (or otherwise leaves it for dead) sometime in the next couple of years.

True. However, when that happens, by ICANN rules, you would be able to transfer them to whomever you so chose so it isn't like you are going to loose your domains. Same thing would apply should, say, namecheap goes under.

While that's of course true, NameCheap doesn't have a history of starting projects, getting wide user acceptance, ignoring them for years, then pulling the plug on their little "side projects," (I still use Google for almost everything, so I'm not being anti-Google here - I've just been burned by using some of their "fringe" products in the past which inevitably fall into disrepair and then disappear.) Certainly you wouldn't lose your domains. But where's the benefit?

No doubt this will be good news for some, but for others this is hardly worth the time commitment.

That's true. The benefit for me is that I manage just about 100 domains and at $12 (versus $14 for the same service through NameCheap), we save $200 per year. Since we also use mostly Google services (Google Apps, App Engine, etc), it will allow for us one less pane of glass to utilize. And I personally like the Google 2-auth much better than NameCheap. With them, every login requires a text message, which is great if I have cell phone signal and service. Not so great if I'm out of the country and need to make changes. Also, their DNS will be a bit more robust than what I get from NameCheap (today, I use a third-party DNS since I have had some reliability issues with NameCheap). Overall, the change, for me, will be good. I'm not saying that NameCheap is bad, because they are not. For me, it just gives me better administration for my services.

I don't agree with that. Google is just selling all the .coms (and others) to customers, hosting (where the files are stored). I think this makes sense, Google is an internet company and they want to monetize however they can.

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